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About us

The Football Foundation is the UK’s largest sports’ charity. Funded by the Premier League, The Football Association and the Government, the Foundation directs £30m every year into grassroots sport.

The Foundation receives money from the very top of the professional game and also from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport through Sport England. It then uses this money to leverage even more partnership funding, to deliver a programme of new and improved community sports facilities in towns and cities across the country.

Our mission is to improve facilities, create opportunities and build communities throughout England.

Impact

Featured pages

Where our money goesSince 2000, the Football Foundation has awarded grants towards projects worth over £1.3bn to help create new grass roots facilities around the country. Here you will be able to see what exactly has been via Football Foundation support both nationally and in your local area.

The Impact of our Facility grantsHundreds of thousands of people play football at Foundation-funded facilities each week. Find out more details on how many people are playing at Foundation facilities in this section.

Darius Vassell feeling like a Newman after Villa hero opens university's new all-weather pitchYesterday (Wednesday 20 September) Darius Vassell, former Aston Villa FC and England forward, officially unveiled a state-of-the-art new all-weather pitch at Newman University in Birmingham. He was joined by Premier League Assistant Referee Sian Massey-Ellis MBE, a Newman University alumnus. The project was made possible by a grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, which is delivered by the Football Foundation.

Darius Vassell feeling like a Newman after Villa hero opens university's new all-weather pitchYesterday (Wednesday 20 September) Darius Vassell, former Aston Villa FC and England forward, officially unveiled a state-of-the-art new all-weather pitch at Newman University in Birmingham. He was joined by Premier League Assistant Referee Sian Massey-Ellis MBE, a Newman University alumnus. The project was made possible by a grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, which is delivered by the Football Foundation.

Double funding boost for grassroots sport in Huddersfield

Date published: 15/04/2013

In a double boost for grassroots sport in Huddersfield, The Leslie Sports Foundation have been presented with two cheques from the Football Foundation and the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF). The funding will go towards improving and developing current sports facilities at Storthes Hall Park.

The cheques, for £251,217 and £50,000 respectively were presented to The Leslie Sports Foundation by Adrian Morris from the Football Foundation. Jason McCartney, MP for Colne Valley; Prof Graham Leslie, Chairman of the Leslie Sports Foundation; Lee Henton and Craig Leslie, Directors of the Leslie Sports Foundation; Adrian Morris, Technical Adviser from the Football Foundation; and Ashley Berry, Football Manager for the Shelley football teams were all in attendance.

The Leslie Sports Foundation and Shelley Football Club worked in partnership with the West Riding FA to secure the grants from the Football Foundation and the FSIF. The funds will be invested into improving existing football facilities at Storthes Hall Park for both juniors and adults in Huddersfield, increasing the number of quality pitches at the site, as well as the refurbishment of the old cricket pavilion, which will house the clubhouse, six team changing rooms, two changing rooms for officials, toilet facilities and storage rooms.

Funded by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government (via Sport England), the Football Foundation is the country’s largest sports charity. Since it was launched in 2000, the Foundation has awarded 129 grants worth more than £14m towards improving grassroots sport in West Riding, which has attracted additional partnership funding of over £29m.

The FSIF is the country’s largest provider of grants towards projects that help improve the comfort and safety of lower league football grounds in both the professional and amateur game and is funded with £6m each year from the Premier League.

Jason McCartney, MP for Colne Valley, said: “It is fantastic news that the Leslie Sport Foundation have received grants from both the Football Foundation and the Football Stadia Improvement Fund. I would like to thank them both for their investment into grassroots sport in Huddersfield and their work across the country.

“This funding will ensure that the whole community in Kirklees can get involved in and enjoy sport. I look forward to seeing the finished developments at Storthes Hall Park.”

Prof Graham Leslie, Chairman of the Leslie Sports Foundation, said: “This development is all about being part of the community – the whole community. We don’t want to exclude anyone and hope to dispel the myth that football is just for men. We have a ladies football team interested in using the site and hope to encourage more. We are also developing our facilities for people with disabilities, to cater for their needs so that they can enjoy playing sport just as much as everyone else.

“We have received help from a number of resources to help the charity at every stage of the development, and I would like to thank all concerned for their hard work to get this fantastic project off the ground.”

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “The Leslie Sports Foundation has been extremely energetic and has worked tirelessly in partnership with the West Riding County FA to secure this funding, and I am thrilled to see their hard work rewarded with these substantial Football Foundation and FSIF grants.”

The Leslie Sports Foundation was set up by serial entrepreneur and philanthropist, Prof Graham Leslie and his family, with the sole intention to acquire use of Storthes Hall Park and create a sports facility for the local community.